Track-cleaning machine for mines



J. G. BRADLEY AND W. F. METZ. TRACK CLEANING MACHINE FOR MINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1920.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. G. BRADLEY AND W. F. METZ.

TRACK CLEANING MACHINE FOR MINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1920.

a SHEET'SSHEET 2.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922:

I. G. BRADLEY AND W. F. METZ.

TRACK CLEANl-NG MACHINE FOR MINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18. 1920.

1,406,527, Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Snow W01;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. BRADLEY, OF TOPEKA, KANSAS, AND WILLIAM FIME'IZ, OF BUGKNEB,

' ILLINOIS.

TRACK-CLEANING MACHINE FOR MINES.

Application filed June 18,

To all whom, it may concern.

Be it known that we, JOHN G. BRAnLEY and WILLIAM F. Mn'rz, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Topeka, in the county of -Shawnee andtate of Kansas, and Buckner,

in the county of Franklin and State of Illinois, respectively, haveinvented a new and useful Track-Cleaning Mach1ne for M1nes, of which thefollowing is a spec1ficat1on.

The object of our invention is to provide an efiicient machine forkeeping the tracks and haulage-ways in mines clear of coal, ore, dust,dirt and other obstructions. that fall from overloaded cars as they arehauled to the shaft to bev hoisted to the surface. In big mines it hasbeen customary to detail forty or fifty men each night to keep theentries or main channels into the mines clear of coal thathas fallenfrom cars. The men are constantly exposed to the danger of 00111- sionswith passing cars and of contact with live trolley wires and thirdrails. It is the purpose of our invention to do away with this manuallabor and the dangers attendant upon it. 0

We attain the objects of our invention by the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention- Figure 2 is a top plan ofsame, with a portion of endless conveyor 3 broken away to show. themotor connections;

Figure 3 is a front elevation; and

Figure 4 is a detail side elevation of elevator 7 and adjacentmechanism.

Like numerals designate like parts in each of the several views.Referring to the accompanying drawings, we provide a suitable frame 42,connected by cross-bars 38 and 39. The device is mounted on axles 25which are provided with wheels 24. An inclined endless conveyor orelevator 2 is provided on which are spaced transverse projecting strips3. The elevator 2 is driven by a sprocket 5 on shaft 43, this sprocketin turn being driven by chain 21 from motor 22. Shaft 20 at the lowerend of elevator 2 on which the lower roller 44 on which the elevatorruns is mounted, carries a gear 4 which meshes with a gear 19 on a stubshaft 17, which also carries sprocket wheel 16 which drives sprocket 14by means of chain 15. Sprocket 14 is mounted on shaft 12, and isSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 389,999.

connected by link 18 with shaft 17. The upper roller 13 of the floatingelevator mechanism is mounted on shaft 12, which shaft is movable in thearcuate slot 29. The floating elevator 7 is. mounted on rollers 13 and9, as illustrated, and roller 9 is mounted on shaft 10, which isconnected by suitable links 11 with upper shaft 12.

WVe provide approximately L-shaped slots 33 in which are slidablypositioned the guide pins 31 which are attached to the nose scoop 1which extends between the rails of the track, dropping some two inchesbelow the top of the rails and clearing the rails on the inside of thetrack by about two inches. Scoop 1 has about a 30 degree elevation andrises to a height of'about eight inches above the level of the top ofthe rails. It also has guide pins 30 mounted in slots 45, and isconnected with shock springs 32 suitably mounted in the frame sides 6 asshown. These springs allow a play for the scoop 1 of about five or sixinches should a diflicult obstruction be met. The provision of theL-shaped slots 33 permits of the scoop 1 being lifted over frogs,switches and other permanent obstruction when necessary. It is held inplace by the guide pins 31 and 30. lVe provide suitable plows 34suitably secured to side frames 6, by means of members 35 to which theyare bolted, preferably, or otherwise suitably mounted. Plows 34 aredisposed so as to throw material from either rail toward the center ofthe track. Plows 34 may be made in different sizes to accommodate themachine to entries or tunnels of different widths. We provide a suitablesand box 28. We also provide a suitable trolley 36, carrying the trolleywheel 41 in operative connection with the trolley wire 37. Asillustrated in Fig. 2, we provide a suitable driving motor 27operatively connected by suitable means, as by gears 26, with one of theaxles 25. Any suitable means for driving the machine in the tun nels maybe employed, however.

As the machine moves forward the coal, ore, dirt, dust, rubbish andother obstructions that have accumulated on the tracks and haulagewaysin the mine will be scooped up by the scoop 1, the material directly onthe tracks being thrown toward center of the tracks by the oppositeinwardly tilted front plows 34. As soon as the material beand is not apart of our invention.

gins to pile up it comes in contact with the fins or cross strips 8 onthe floating elevator T and will be dragged upward until it passes overthe upper edge of the nose scoop 1, and drops onto the main elevator-.2,where it is in turn caught by the cross strips 3 and carried by theelevator 2 to the top of the machine and discharged into chute 23,thence being discharged into a suitable receiver or trailer car A, asindicated in Figure 1. Suitable means for adjusting the angle of chute23 may be provided, and this chute is provided with sides to prevent thematerial from again falling onto the track. The trailer A may be any pitcar in common e floating reverse elevator 7 rises and falls as thethickness of the accumulating materials may determine. It is the fullwidth of the scoop 1, and is prevented from dragging on the scoop l bytwo cleats, one on either side, fastened to the frame sides 6 andparallel to the scoop 1. Its only points of security are on shaft 12which is mounted on the links 18 which in turn are mounted at the lowerend on stub shaft 17. The materials to be loaded are held in place bythe sides 6 of the elevator frame, which sides 6 rise to a height ofeighteen or twenty inches. The floating elevator 7 moves in a reversedirection from the rear main elevator 2, as indicated by arrows in Fi 1.The machine is motor driven. and the e evators are driven by anauxiliary motor 22 as illustrated in the drawings. The direction ofchute 23 is determined by a suitable cog ratchet 46.

lVhat we claim is: v

1. In a track cleaning machine for mines, the combination of a wheeledframe, a resiliently controlled longitudinal adjustable scoop having itsfree bottom edge extending between two tracks and nominally below thesurface of the tracks, means for permitting of elevating the edge of thescoop when necessary to pass over frogs in the track, etc., a floatingelevator positioned above the scoop and arranged to carry materialupward of the scoop, a second elevator positioned to receive materialfrom the first. elevator, means operatively connected for driving thetwo elevators said means being operatively connected, and power meansfor driving both elevators said means being operatively connected withone of them.

2. In a track cleaning machine for mines, the combination of a wheeledframe, an adjustable inclined scoop extending between two tracks andhaving its lower edge positioned normally below the upper surface of thetracks, said scoop having side guide pins, the frame having a slot inwhich said guide pins are movable to permit of elevating the scoop topass over frogs and other obstacles in the track, a plurality ofelevators arranged for one of the elevators to receive material from thescoop and to convey it to the succeedin elevator, and power means fordriving said elevators.

3. In combination with the apparatus described in claim 2 oppositeinwardly tilted track plows arranged to discharge material from thetracks toward the center of the scoop, substantially as shown.

4:. In a device of the class described, a motor driven wheeled frame,sides projecting above and beyond the wheeled frame to guide material, ascoop longitudinall and vertically adjustable in the wheeled rame andhaving its lower edge positioned between and below the upper portion oftwo tracks, side plows attached tothe frame and discharging materialtoward the center of a track, means operatively connecting the floatingelevator with a direct elevator, a direct elevator having its lower endpositioned to receive material from the scoop and the floating elevator,and means for driving the direct elevator.

5. In a track cleaning machine for mines, the combination of a wheeledframe having extended sides, a scoop having its lower edge positionedbetween two tracks, said scoop having guide pins mounted in slottedportions of the sides of the elevator to control the longitudinal andvertical adjustment of the scoop, resilient means normally holding thescoop in its lowermost position, opposite inclined track plows attachedto the sides of the frame and dischar 'ng material toward the center ofthe track 1n front of the scoop, a floating reverse elevator mountedabove the scoop and adapted to carry material onto the second elevator,a direct elevator positioned to receive material from the scoop, andmeans for operating the elevators.

6. In a track cleaning machine for mines, the combination of a wheeledframe, side plows shaped and positioned to throw material from the railstoward the center of the track, an inclined scoop positioned to pick upmaterial from the center of the track, a reversely driven floatingelevator positioned above the scoop and resiliently mounted, means forresiliently mounting the central scoop, a second elevator positioned toreceive material from the floating elevator, and means for deliveringmaterial from the second elevator to the rear of the machine, wherebythe device is adapted for use in underground work, substantially asdescribed.

7. In a track cleaning machine for mines, the combination of a wheeledframe suitable for use on mine railways, side plows suitably shaped andpositioned to discharge material from the rails toward the center of thetrack, an inclined scoop positioned between the rails and adapted topick up material from the center of the track, the free edge pf saidcentral scoop being positioned rearward of Ill and adapted to receivematerial therefrom, motor driven means for operating both of 10 saidelevators. and material delivery means at the rear of the secondelevator, substantially as described.

JOHL G. BRADLEY. WILLIAM F. METZ.

